Diabetes

GatorCare has resources for preventing the onset of diabetes and managing your condition if you are already diagnosed.

inControl: A Diabetes Self-Management Program

Are you a GatorCare member diagnosed with diabetes? inControl is a diabetes self-management program offered periodically during the year in Jacksonville. See below for further details.

Gainesville

While Gainesville is not currently offering a formal diabetes management program, those with pre-diabetes or diabetes may be interested in a new weight management program (Shape Up) that launches in January.

Shape Up is an eight-week program that provides accountability and tools to help you lose weight and create healthy habits that stick. Losing weight can help prevent and manage diabetes by lowering cholesterol levels and improving blood glucose control in the body.

Jacksonville

Get ‘in control’ of your diabetes! Participate in this program to learn how to slow the progression of diabetes through proper nutrition, exercise, stress management, and medication. Develop healthy behaviors in a supportive environment to prevent potential complications and engage with your providers to ensure proper management. For more information, contact GatorCare Wellness Coordinator in Jacksonville.

Enrollment currently closed.

What is Diabetes?

When you eat or drink, your body responds to the glucose (sugar) in your blood by releasing insulin from the pancreas. Insulin allows your cells to take in the glucose and use it for energy. Diabetes is an error in this system. There are 3 types of diabetes:

Type 1: Only 5% of people with Diabetes have Type 1. Also known as Juvenile Diabetes, Type 1 diabetes is the body’s inability to produce insulin. This type cannot be prevented. The body’s own immune system attacks the cells of the pancreas that are responsible for insulin production (beta cells). Although onset is most common before the age of 20, anyone can get Type 1 diabetes. This version of the disease requires patients to administer insulin injections to maintain their blood sugar levels at a normal level, but with good care and blood sugar maintenance people with Type 1 diabetes can live long, healthy lives.

Type 2: Unlike Type 1 diabetes, people with Type 2 diabetes can still produce insulin but their cells have a hard time responding to it, a phenomenon which doctors call insulin resistance. This is the most common form of diabetes and currently affects more than 29 million Americans.

Gestational: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that approximately 9.2 % of women experience an onset of diabetes during pregnancy called gestational diabetes. Blood sugar levels return to normal soon after delivery but it is important to seek medical attention in order to prevent harm to the baby. Gestational diabetes is caused by hormones released by the placenta which help the baby grow but unfortunately also interrupt the actions of the mother’s insulin. Although the mother’s blood sugar levels return to normal after delivery, gestational diabetes increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in the future.

Low levels of HDL (the good cholesterol) and/or high triglyceride levels

Prediabetes

Prediabetes and Prevention

Prediabetes is a blood sugar level that is higher than normal but is not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Patients with prediabetes are likely to develop Type 2 diabetes within the next 10 years. A diagnosis of prediabetes is an opportunity for a lifestyle change to prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes.

Here are some ways you can lower your risk for diabetes. For more information click here.

Prevent Diabetes STAT: Screen/Test/Act Today

Use the CDC’s screening tool to assess your risk for prediabetes and find out what your next steps should be.

Answer some quick questions to assess your risk for Type 2 diabetes

Complete a wellness exam with your primary care provider every year

This is a great time to talk to your doctor about your risk for diabetes and learn your numbers (glucose, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, blood pressure). If you do not have a primary care provider and would like assistance finding one, please call (352) 265-7251.

Make some healthy lifestyle changes

Research shows that you can lower your risk for type 2 diabetes by 58% by:

Exercising moderately (such as brisk walking) 30 minutes a day, five days a week

Diabetes can often be prevented by eating healthier, being more active, and losing weight.

There are numerous resources available through GatorCare to help you make healthy lifestyle changes. Please see the GatorCare Wellness page for more information on local resources.

Find out if you are at risk for developing Type I diabetes

The TrialNet Type 1 Diabetes Research Group at the University of Florida is screening relatives of people with Type 1 diabetes, as part of research, to find out if these family members are at risk for developing diabetes. A simple blood test could detect an increased risk for type 1 diabetes up to 10 years before symptoms appear. You may be eligible to join research studies that are testing ways to prevent or delay Type I Diabetes.

Who can participate?

First-degree relatives (children, siblings, parents) of people with type I diabetes between the ages of 1-45.

Second-degree relatives (aunts/uncles, cousins, nieces/nephews, grandchildren, half-siblings) of people with type I diabetes between the ages of 1-20.

Managing your Condition

Enroll in GatorCare’s inControl diabetes program

Get ‘in control’ of your diabetes! Participate in this program to learn how to slow the progression of diabetes through proper nutrition, exercise, stress management, and medication. Develop healthy behaviors in a supportive environment to prevent potential complications and engage with your providers to ensure proper management.

Receive formal diabetes education

Learn how to manage your condition with glucose monitoring, nutrition, medication management, skin/foot/dental care, and lifestyle modifications. Even if you have received diabetes education in the past, you are eligible for a refresher course each year. For more information contact:

Talk to a Health Coach

Receive free telephonic health coaching using the Health Dialog program through Florida Blue at 1-877-789-2583. The health coaches can refer eligible members into disease management programs when applicable.

Get More Information Online

Visit the American Diabetes Association for more information on living with diabetes, treatment options, medications, recipes and more! The ADA can also answer any of your diabetes questions over the phone at 1-800-DIABETES or online with their online chat feature.

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